Rotatable gate or door.



F. 0. KULLANDEE. ROTATABLE GATE 0a DOOR.

, v APPLICATION FILED JULY 20, 1909. 952,9 1 Patented Mar. 22, 1910.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Wihwoom WW yam id 5 ANDREW u GRAHAM (20.11amLITMOGRAPHEBBVWASHINGTON, o c

F. 0. KULLANDER.

ROTATABLE GATE 0R noon.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 20, 1909.

9 5% g 1 a Patented Mar. 22, 1910.

4 SHEETSSHEET 3.

MM. glmkfl ROTATABLE GATE 0R DOOR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 20, 1.909.

KULLANDER-.

PatentedMan'22, 1910.

4 SHEETSSHEET 4.

ANDREW a GRAHAM covv ounvuznamsmumcu, u c

FRANK O. KULLANDER, 0F KENSINGTON, MINNESOTA.

ROTATABLE GATE OR DOOR.

To all whom 175 may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK O. KULLAN- nun, citizen of the United States,residing at Kensington, in the county of Douglas and State of Minnesota,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotatable Gates orDoors, of which the following is a specification.

-My invention relates to that class of entrance barriers which have theform of turnstiles and are rotatable to permit the exit of persons fromone side of the pivotal point of the turnstile and prevent their passagethrough the opposite side.

The object of the invention is to provide a door or turnstile of thischaracter with means whereby the door may be prevented from rotating inthe opposite direction to the proper 011e, providing a particularlyeffective means for supporting the barrier bars upon the centralrotatable post, so that the parts shall be very strongly bound togetherand interlocked with each other, and particularly to provide meanswhereby the spaces between the barrier bars shall normally be closed soas to prevent the entrance of air into the car, house, or otherstructure in which the door or gate is used, a further object being toprovide, in connection with those valves, as they may be termed, meanswhereby the valves may be opened to any degree required to permit of aproper ventilation of the car, or other structure, during warm weatheror when it is otherwise required.

A still further object is to provide a door or gate of this characterwith an upper portion of glass, which upper portion may be detached fromthe lower portion or sec tion containing the barrier bars, so that insummer the upper portion of the gate or door may be removed entirely toafford the least possible obstruction to the passage of the air.

For a full understanding of the invention and the merits thereof, and toacquire a knowledge of the details of construction, reference is to behad to the following description and accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure l is a side elevation of the simplest form of my gate; Fig. 2 isa fragmentary perspective view, enlarged, of a section of the post andof the barrier bars engaged therewith; Fig. 3 is a horizontal section onthe line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a like sec- Specification of LettersPatent.

App1ication filed July 20, 1909.

Patented Mar. 22, 1910. Serial No. 508,613

tion on the line 4% of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a plan view of the means forpreventing a reverse movement of the barrier; Fig. 6 is a perspectiveview showing the preferred form of my door or barrier; Fig. 7 is anenlarged perspective detail of the central post, barrier bars, and thevalves connected thereto; Figs. 8 and 9 are fragmentary ver ticalsections through the barrier bars showing the different positions of thevalves; and, Fig. 10 is a fragmentary vertical section through thebarrier bars, showing the means whereby the valves may be adjusted.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the samereference characters.

In the drawings, I have shown two forms of my invention; one a simplegate structure, and the other the door or gate structure with theself-closing valves attached thereto.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 to 4, 2 designates a base of anydesired character, and 3 a cross bar, roof, or other superstruc turebetween which and the base the door is pivoted. 4: designates theincasing plates on either side of the doorway, these plates having acircular form in section and being opposed to each other and forming thewalls of the passageway within which the gate rotates.

Where my device is to be used as a gate simply, of course, the casingplates may be omitted, the fence wall or other structure through whichthe entrance is to be effected abutting upon or forming part of thecircumference of the circle described by the exterior ends of thebarrier arms. Mounted between the base 2 and the roof 3 is the rotatable post 5. The upper or lower end of this post, preferably theupper end, is reduced as at 6, so as to form a bearing rotating withinthe roof or cross bar. Mounted upon this hearing is the ratchet wheel 7.Pivoted adjacent to the ratchet wheel is a pawl 8 which engages with theratchet teeth on wheel 7 and is pressed into engagement by the spring 9.

As a preferable construction, I attach to the upper face of the crossbar or roof 8 a casting 10 having a central hub through which thereduced end of the post 5 passes, this casting being provided withupwardly projecting pins carrying the pawl 8 and spring 9. While I haveshown this as applied to the upper end of the post 5, I wish itunderstood that the casting might be mounted upon the floor or base,with the same result.

The rotatable post 5 notched on its side edges as at 5 and 5 for thereception of the barrier bars 11 and 11 The two notches for each set ofbarrier bars are located immediately adjacent to each other and extendin opposite directions at right angles to each other. The barrierbars'll" are cut away at the middle of their lower faces, as at 12, suchcut-away portion having the same length as the Width of the square post10, so that the shoulders at the ends of the cut-away portion clamp thebars 11 in position against the post. The bars 11 are also cut away ontheir upper faces and hold the bars 11 in place. Thus, the two series ofbars at right angles to each other form an interlocked construction, onesecurely holding the other in proper position relative to the post 5 andpreventing any slipping of the bars. In addition, transverse bolts 13pass through each of the bars 11 and 11 and hold them into rigidengagement with the post 5. The lowermost barrier bars 1 1 are attachedto and project from the four sides of the post 5 and are held into rigidrelation with each other by the angle irons 15. These angle irons fitagainst the outside faces of the barrier bars 1 1, and the bases of theangle irons fit against the adjacent rightangularly arranged bar 14:,all as shown in Fig. 4. Screws or bolts 15 pass through the base flangeof one angle iron, through the bar 14, and into the main portion of theother angle iron. Screws 16 also pass through the main portions of theseangle irons and into the post itself. It will be seen that this forms avery rigid construction, securely holding the base barrier bars 141 inposition. There is particular necessity for the rigid mounting of theselowest bars, as they are most liable to be struck by the feet of thosepassing through the gate. There is an additional reason for their strongmounting, in that they cannot sag or become deflected in any manner asthey come into contact with the base of the structure, and prevent theeasy operation of the door.

There are two pairs of barrier bars 11 and 11 arranged at right anglesto each other, as before remarked. The barrier bars forming each pair ofbars are spaced from each other by the central post and by spacingblocks 17 at each end of the barrier bars. One end of each of these barsis reduced to form a handle 18, this handle being sufficiently spacedfrom its adjacent bar that the hand may be inserted between it and theadjacent bar, so that a person passing through the gate or door cansupport himself without danger of falling, and can also easily push thegate.

Projecting from the wall or partition into is transversely which thegate is inserted (the upright 19 shown in the drawings, being supposedto form the end of said wall or partition) are the projecting fixed bars20 which are alternately arranged to the bars 11 and 11 so that as thegate is rotated, the bars 11 and 11 will pass the bars 20. The bars 20extend in. toward but not quite to the rotatable post 5 and act toprevent anyone from passing through the gate in the wrong direction, ina manner usual in turnstiles.

Referring now to Figs. 6 to 9, I have illustrated a door operating onthe same general principle the gate above described, but containingcertain other features which fit it for use in houses, buildings, cars,or like situations where it is desired to prevent the inlet of airthrough the spaces between the barrier bars.

The apparatus as a whole is constructed in accordance with thedescription before given of the gate, the difference between the two,however, is that I provide in the latter case a series of valves orhinged plates which are hingedly supported upon the barrier bars anddepend against the barrier bars just beneath, so that under normalcircumstances, these flaps or valves will be closed, thus making therotatable barrier practically a solid construction. The projectingalternately arranged fixed bars, however, are so formed as to provide ameans for raising the valve as the rotatable barrier bars move past thefixed barrier bars, the valves falling down into their original positionafter they have passed.

In detail, 22 designates the base of any suitable structure, 25 the roofor ceiling thereof, and 25 designates the rotating post having a reducedend 26 carrying a ratchet wheel 27 and spring pawl 28.

The barrier bars 31 are formed in pairs extending at right angles toeach other, the bars of each pair being reduced near one end to form ahandle 32, the bars being spaced apart at their ends by the blocks Thepost 25 is notched on all four sides, in precisely the same manner thepost 5 before described, so that the pairs of barrierbars areinterlocked with the post and with each other, as before described. Thelowermost sets of barrier bars 3% are held in place by angle irons 36,previously described. The barrier bars 31 extend up only part way alongthe post 10 for the purpose of supporting a series of window carryingframes above it, as will. be later described.

The unreduced portion of each of the bars 31 is provided with the hingedflap valve 40. This valve is hinged to the under side of this portion ofthe bar by means of hinges 41. The flap valves have sufficient depth tofill the space between one barrier bar 5 and the next adjacent barrierbar beneath when the flaps are closed. The upper face of the barrier baris preferably rabbeted or formed with a strip 42 which projects upwardlyfrom the upper face of the bar and a gainstwhich the valve 40 contacts.A strip 43 also projects out from the central post, and the inner end ofthe valve 40 contacts with this last named strip. It Will be seen thenthat all these Valves or flaps are adapted to open in one direction,that is, ina direction reverse to the movement of the door, and closeagainst the strips 42 and 43 in the other direction, and that they arenormally held closed by the springs 41. The inwardly projecting fixedbars 44 are wedgeshaped in cross section so that as the rotatablebarrier bars pass the fixed bars, the beveled face of the latter willact to lift the flap valves sufliciently to permit the flap valves topass the fixed bars.- As a means of preventing friction and of providingfor a very easy operation of the flap valves, I cut away or recess theextremity of the fixed bars 44 and mount therein the antifrictionrollers 45. These project slightly above the beveled face of the bars 44and act when the valves have been initially lifted by the wedge-likeedge of the bars to further raise the valves, the end of the valvemoving over the friction roller and the valve as a whole not contactingwith the whole surface of the bars 44.

While in winter weather or rainy weather it will be desirable to preventthe entrance of air into the car, house, or other structure, through thespaces between the fixed and rotatable barrier bars, yet it may often bedesirable to have the valves raised so as to permit the entrance of air,and for this purpose I provide a rod 46, one for each set of valves, towhich the valves are pivoted or otherwise connected. In theillustration, this rod 46 is shown as passing through slots .in thevalves 40, the valves having a pivot pin passing through the rod 46. Theupper end of this rod is provided with a set screw or peg 47, whereby itmay be supported in any desired vertical position upon the post Thus, byraising the rod 46 to the limit of its movement, the valves 40 will allbe raised and will not contact at all with the fixed bars 44. It will beobvious that the rods may thus be adjusted to any desired degree to givemore or less entrance to air. The valves might also be individuallyarranged to be raised or lowered. Thus, each valve might be providedwith a pin 47 which could be inserted in any one of a series of holesformed in the central post, and thus any one of the valves beindividually adjusted.

As a further means of permitting ingress of air into the structure, Iprovide the set of four rectangular frames 50 within Which may becarried plates of glass 51. These are attached to the upper portion ofthe square post 25 by means of the angle irons 36 previously referredto, these angle irons acting to hold the several frames into rigidrelation to each other and to the post. The outer extremities of theframes 50 are connected to the outer extremities of the uppermostbarrier bars by means of the connecting plates 52. In hot Weather, theseframes with their glass panels may be easily detached by disconnectingthe plate 52 and the angle irons 36 and removing the screws 53 whichpass through the frames and directly into the central post.

It will be seen that my invention provides a door which is peculiarlyapplicable to street cars, hotels and other structures wherein anoutside rotatable door is likely to let in blasts of cold air, and thatmy in.- vention forms a rotatable door with all its advantages, to beapplied to street car service and in other situations where the ordinaryrotatable door is too costly to be used and is not capable of keepingout wind, rain and dust.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is l. A rotatablebarrier including a central vertical post rotatable in one direction,means for preventing the rotation of the postin a reverse direction, andpairs of barrier bars, each pair attached to the post, each pairextending transversely to the next adjacent bar on opposite sides of thepost, the said post having a series of notches on opposed sidesextending in one direction and a series of notches on opposed sidesadjacent to but extending transversely of the first named notches toreceive said barrier bars, the said pairs of barrier bars beingprovided, one pair with a notch on its lower side at its middle and theother with a notch on its upper side at its middle, whereby the barrierbars have interlocking engagement with each other and with the post.

2. A rotatable barrier bar including a central vertical post rotatablein one direction, means for preventing the rotation of the post in areverse direction, and pairs of parallel barrier bars attached onopposite sides of said post, said post having a series of notches on allfour sides to receive said barrier bars, the notches on opposed sidesbeing in alinement with each other, the said pairs of barrier bars beingprovided, one bar with a notch on its lower side at its middle, and theother with a notch on its upper side at its middle, bolts passingtransversely through the pairs of barrier bars and through the post, andspacing blocks located at the extremities of each pair of barrier barsand spacing the same from each other.

3. A rotatable barrier including a central post rotatable in onedirection, means for preventing the rotation of the post in the reversedirection, and pairs of barrier bars arranged transverse to each otherand projecting on both sides of the central post, the members of eachpair of barrier bars being arranged on opposite sides of the post, theopposite ends of each barrier bar of a pair being rounded to formhandles whereby the barrier as a whole may be rotated.

t. A rotatable barrier including a central post rotatable in onedirection, means for preventing the rotation of the post in a reversedirection, barrier bars extending substantially radially outwardly fromthe post and attached thereto, a fixed support, fixed barrier barsextending inward from the support, and plates hinged to the rotatablebarrier bars and depending therefrom, said plates being adapted to beraised by engagement with the fixed barrier bars as the bar rier isrotated.

5. A rotatable barrier including a central rotatable post, radiatingbarrier bars attached to the post and rotatable therewith, plates hingedto the barrier bars and depending therefrom, the lower edges of theplates contacting with the barrier bars immediately beneath, aframework, and fixed barrier bars extending inwardly from the frameworktoward said post and adapted to contact with the hinged plates when thebarrier is rotated, said fixed barrier bars having a beveled upper face.

(3. A rotatable barrier including a central post rotatable in onedirection, barrier bars attached to the post and radiating therefrom,hinged plates hinged to the barrier bars and depending therefrom intocontact with the barrier bar next below, springs for l holding saidplates in a closed position, a frame, fixed inwardly projecting barrierbars carried by the frame and alternating in position with the rotatablebars, and rollers carried on the fixed bars adapted to contact with theplates to raise the same.

7. A rotatable barrier including av central post rotatable in onedirection, means for preventing the rotation of the post in the reversedirection, barrier bars attached to the post and radiating therefrom,plates hinged to the lower faces of the barrier bars and adapted to openin a direction reverse I l t l l i l t l 1 1 i l l i l to the movementof said bars, springs for normally forcing said plates closed, aframework, inwardly projecting barrier bars on the framework alternatelyarranged with respectto the rotatable bars, said fixed bars beingbeveled on their upper faces and'being recessed on their outer ends, androllers carried in said recesses and adapted to contact with the innerends of said hinged plates.

8. A rotatable barrier including a central vertical postrotatable in onedirection, means for preventing the rotation of the post in a reversedirection, pairs of barrier bars attached to and extending across saidpost, said pairs of bars being spaced from each other and one bar ofeach of said pairs being reduced to form a handle, plates hinged to theunder side of one bar of each pair and depending therefrom into contactwith the like bar of the pair beneath, a fixed frame, inwardlyprojecting barrier bars carried by said frame and alternately arrangedwith respect to the rotatable barrier bars, said fixed bars beingadapted to contact with the movable plates to raise the same as thebarrier bars pass, and means for adjustably holding said plate raised toescape the fixed barrier bars.

9. In a device of the character described, a central rotatable post, aseries of approximately radial barriers mounted on the post andprojecting therefrom, a series of freely swinging valve plates mountedon said barriers, and means whereby the plates may be adjustablysupported if desired.

10. A rotatable barrier of the kind described, including a centralrotatable post, outwardly projecting barrier bars, plates hinged to thebarrier bars and depending therefrom, and a series of inwardlyprojecting fixed barrier bars alternately arranged with respect to therotatable barrier bars with which said valve plates contact during arotation of the barrier.

In testimony whereof I atfix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK O. KULLANDER. [Ls] Vitnesses A. L. OSTERBERG, R. J. BAsMUssoN.

